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Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) Is Interviewed About NATO's Assurances To Ukraine; Actors Set To Strike; Suspected Tornados Near Chicago. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 13, 2023 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[09:30:25]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: World leaders showed major support for Ukraine during the NATO summit in Lithuania this week. The NATO alliance is expected to grow, and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy appeared optimistic about his country's chances to join NATO at some point.

In a new and exclusive interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin talked about Ukraine's chances of joining NATO and what needs to be done before they can.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: So you have no doubt that after the war Ukraine will become a member of NATO?

LLOYD AUSTIN, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I have no doubt that that will happen. And we heard just about every country -- we heard all the countries in the room say as much. And I think that was reassuring to President Zelenskyy.

But there are other things that have to happen as well. You know, judicial reform. You know, things that - that makes sure that the democracy is in good shape. And so those things will take place over time.

BLITZER: How much time do you think it will take after the war - let's assuming the war ends, God willing it will end some day -- how much time will it take for NATO to join - for NATO to welcome Ukraine as a full member?

AUSTIN: I won't speculate on that, Wolf. I will just say that all of the countries that I've witnessed are interested in moving as quickly as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: For more from that exclusive interview with Wolf Blitzer with Secretary Austin, tune in tonight to "THE SITUATION ROOM WITH WOLF BLITZER" at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us right now to talk about this and much more, Democratic Congressman from Illinois, Mike Quigley. He is the co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus.

Congressman, thank you for coming in.

A lot happened in Lithuania at the NATO summit. And I wanted to ask you kind of the overall -- Zelenskyy going in made very clear he was frustrated that there's not a clearer path to being offered in terms of a timeline for NATO membership for Ukraine, but he did leave Ukraine - leave Lithuania saying -- calling it a success in the big defense commitments that they were able to lock in. Do you consider what came out of the summit a success for the United States?

REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): You know, I do. I think Zelenskyy sees those commitments as a bridge to NATO. I think the problem was they should have led with Secretary Austin's statements, that they have no doubt that Ukraine will become a member.

Let's put this in perspective. I said a year ago they should be in NATO because their fight was -- that fight is the reason we formed NATO in the first place. And to be blunt, they're doing NATO's dirty work now for 500 days. If they had been run over, don't we think Moldova would be next and other NATO countries. And, in the meantime, many of those NATO countries weren't meeting the financial commitments to defense. Many of them were, frankly, paper tigers when it came to defense. And now they're much more unified. Ukraine has a counteroffensive going on. So, sure, I can see why Zelenskyy was, I guess, miffed, at the beginning of the conference.

BOLDUAN: So, I want to ask you also, when you talk about the counter offense and what's going on. "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting that several high ranking military officers have been - of Russian military officers have been detained in Russia over the Wagner rebellion. Also reporting that includes General Surovikin, who's being held and interrogated in Moscow, according to "The Journal." It's in all - in all at least 13 senior offices have -- being detained for questioning, some later released, and 15 suspended from duty or being fired.

What do you think of that, Congressman? And what do you think the impact, in terms of the war in Ukraine, that this will have, or is having?

QUIGLEY: Sure. I mean, first of all, I think the comments that Prigozhin made about the justification of the war had to have some impact on the morale of the troops as a whole. And Putin, in the meantime, has to show strength given he looked so weak that very bad day for him. I think in the end this disunity has to have some positive impact for the Ukrainians in this conflict. But my concern is, every opportunity has risk. A weakened Putin, a threatened Putin, has to show how strong he is, how tough he is. He was willing to blow up a dam and commit war crimes.

[09:35:00] I'm concerned for the nuclear power plant there just as one example.

BOLDUAN: I want to ask you about Ukraine -- a Ukrainian general told our Alex Marquardt in new reporting that we've just learned that the cluster munitions from the United States have already arrived in country, are already in Ukraine. This general says it could radically change the battlefield, but, of course, they're controversial. Is -- do you think this is the right move for the United States to provide these controversial weapons to Ukraine right now?

QUIGLEY: I think it's a brutal decision, but ultimately the president made the right one. A couple points here. Secretary Blinken said they'd be defensive without them. Let's understand why. The Ukrainians are firing artillery shells in a couple days at a greater number than we produce in a month. The math won't last forever.

I toured that plant in Iowa, and they want to increase production by 500 percent, the Pentagon does. That's not going to happen overnight.

Second, I was in Kyiv, I was in Bucha, I saw the war crimes. In the end, what Zelenskyy said is right, we have to end this war quickly, we have to give them the weapons necessary so that the carnage can end, that the Putin war crimes can end and ultimately save lives in the net.

BOLDUAN: I want to ask what's going on right now on Capitol Hill. There's a real struggle and it's a big question mark around the NDAA, the massive defense authorization bill that impacts basically everything and this definitely has to do with our nation's national security. There is -- it's coming out of rules, I don't want to get into the weeds.

But you - but what -- the reason why there's a big question around it is there are a slew of controversial amendments that have been proposed. And I believe many of them have gotten out of rules committee in - overnight, being offered by right wing Republicans having to do with transgender rights and abortion that are threatening to hold up the passage of this bill. What is going to happen in the end? Do you think this bill is going to be held up by Republicans?

QUIGLEY: Well, it has the very real threat of that happening. And, first, I truly don't understand the absolute fascination with the - the far right has with trans people who have done nothing to them. But the harm here is, this is a bill that passed out of committee with only one dissenting vote. They want to add poison pill to make it almost impossible or to reject their far, far right notions of how this country should operate. In the end, our founding fathers never --

BOLDUAN: But Democrats - but - but Democrats have to work with Republicans. You are - you are dealing in the reality of, they are in the majority and they have the majority on the rules committee. So, what do you do?

QUIGLEY: Sure, I - but I still think the majority of Republicans favor passing this without all those poison pills. In the end, this country gets decided in the middle by compromise, not out here on one extreme or the other. So, my deal is, I have to work with Republicans in the middle, not way out on the extreme. And it's up to the speaker at this point in time to decide how much of is he going to take? The founding fathers never imagined that a handful of people could dictate the body politic in this country.

BOLDUAN: This is an important moment to be watching the -- the slow wheels of legislation happen on Capitol Hill. But this is an important one.

Thank you, Congressman, for coming in.

Sara.

SIDNER: Coming up, actors joining writers striking against studio giants and streaming sites. We'll explain why some of your favorite shows may be at risk here.

Plus, a huge announcement this morning for the Food and Drug Administration. It has green lit the first ever over the counter birth control pill. We'll have the details straight ahead.

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[09:43:16]

SIDNER: On our radar this morning, the demolition of a home where four University of Idaho students were killed has been delayed. That is what the families wanted. The home in Moscow will now be demolished in October. That's when the trial for the murder suspect, Bryan Kohberger, is set to begin. Kohberger's team was just granted a 37-day stay in the case to review material from the grand jury. It was given after a judge denied a motion to delay proceedings indefinitely. That motion will be heard in August.

All right, an historic approval from the FDA this morning. The agency approved its first over-the-counter birth control pill. Opill, as it's called, is a daily oral contraceptive that will be available without a prescription for the first time in the United States. Officials say it is expected to be more effective than other options that are already on the market for preventing unintended pregnancy.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: For the first time in more than 60 years, we could be looking at Hollywood on strike on two fronts. It's the first time since 1960 that both the unions for actors and writers could likely be on the picket lines very soon. Contract negotiations between the studios and SAG-AFTRA, they fell apart overnight. Now the union representing more than 100,000 actors will very likely join the writers who have been on strike for more than 70 days.

CNN's Natasha Chen, she's covering this for us. She's in Los Angeles this morning.

Natasha, where do things stand at this hour? NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, they passed the deadline last night that was actually an extension of their original deadline already. And this is a guild that has overwhelmingly already authorized a strike if no deal was reached and so now they just need their national board to vote on that. And we'll find out the result of that vote at noon Los Angeles time.

[09:45:04]

So here are some of the things that are sticking points. Why they can't agree. The actors have been asking for better compensation and benefit plans, they are asking for streaming residuals. In this world of Netflix and Disney Plus, et cetera, they're not getting the money that they used to when their shows are being aired or played repeatedly. And they're concerned about protections on use of AI that could take their digital likeness which threatens their work.

Here's part of what the chief negotiator said in a statement, that AMPTP, that's the studios, has refused to acknowledge that enormous shifts in the industry and economy have had a detrimental impact on those who perform labor for the studios.

Now, the studios have also released a statement saying that they actually gave an historic pay increase and groundbreaking offer to offer protections in that -- in the space of AI. And in their statement they said in part, we are deeply disappointed that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk away from negotiations. This is the union's choice, not ours. Rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardships for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.

And, Kate, I have spoken to a number of people who don't even work on movie or TV sets who are already deeply impacted by this in the greater economy. Of course, viewers at home are going to see in the months to come perhaps some of their favorite shows start to be delayed in having new seasons.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Natasha, thank you so much for that one.

And if you have two strikes at once, this could effectively bring the entertainment industry to a halt, which as Natasha's talking about, it impacts so many industries, you know, from coast-to-coast.

SIDNER: It's huge. It's huge. From catering to everything else, like - Kate, thank you.

Now to an incredibly powerful and emotional moment at last night's Espy Awards.

Watch.

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DAMAR HAMLIN, BUFFALO BILLS: Please welcome this year's recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for Service, the training staff of the Buffalo Bills. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: You saw him breaking down there. It was out of gratitude. That was Bills safety Damar Hamlin presenting the Pat Tillman Award, as you hear, for Service to the people who saved him, the Buffalo Bills training staff. You may recall the 25-year-old went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle in a game earlier this year, rocking the sports world and all those who were watching. But thanks to the training staff's quick thinking and action, Hamlin is still with us today.

While introducing the Bills' training staff, he, as you saw there, brought to tears when the staff came to the stage. They all shared an embrace amid a standing ovation. Upon accepting that award, the team's head athletic trainer, Nathan Breske, thanked Hamlin for his remarkable fight.

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NATHAN BRESKE, BILLS HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER: By the grace of God, and divine intervention, we had the best outcome we could have prayed for or imagined.

Damar, first and foremost, thank you for staying alive, brother.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amen.

BRESKE: Seriously, we are so honored to be standing up here next to such a strong and courageous human being.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Hamlin didn't just stay alive, he thrived. In April he was fully cleared to resume football activities.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: And he said, by the grace of God, but also you have to add in by some pretty remarkable training and talent amongst that staff to treat Hamlin the way they did. That was really awesome.

Still ahead for us, a rare sight near Chicago. This. Look what's happened in Elgin, Illinois. Possible tornados leaving behind a trail of destruction. We have new details on this next.

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[09:53:14]

SIDNER: This morning, experts surveying the damage left behind by an unknown number of rare tornadoes very close to the city of Chicago. This incredible footage you're looking at there shows one spinning away and a rainbow being created in the background. At least 19 homes were damaged in Elgin, some 35 miles northwest of Chicago.

In another city near Chicago, this is Countryside, Illinois. The fast- moving storm ended up damaging houses and uprooting a bunch of trees.

CNN's Adrienne Broaddus has more on the tornadoes near Chicago.

This is so unusual. You - what - you are, I think, in Countryside - no, you're right outside of Chicago. What are you seeing there, the damage that's been created?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in McCook, Sara. And I want to show you the powerful high winds and what happened here.

Behind me there's a white fence. That's what the fence is supposed to look like. But those winds were so powerful, this is all that's left of the fence, at least in this area, the posts. Some of the fencing was here in the grass.

If we swing over and you look at the garage attached to this motel, the garage door is twisted. It's easy to notice from where we're standing, the roof is also missing. And as we swing over to the other side, I want to point your attention to the dump truck that's here. You can see where the drier of that truck drove into the power lines.

The good news, there are no reported injuries. But witnesses had a lot to say about what they saw.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tornado come right out of the sky, was over our car. It was spinning. I was -- I seen two guys taking a film, and I'm looking up and here it comes down towards our car.

[09:55:01]

I move my car over, and it just rolled right over us, and just started destroying everything.

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BROADDUS: And today will be a day of cleanup. You will see there's a person here with the utility company making sure no one drives or passes through this area.

Sara.

SIDNER: Lots of communities worrying about this, and having to clean up after this damage. It's so unusual to see those tornadoes in that area.

Thank you so much, Adrienne Broaddus, for giving us that update.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: This just in to CNN, a jury in Pittsburgh has reached a verdict on the penalty that the man who murdered 11 worshipers at a synagogue there, what penalty he will face. He could face the death penalty. The verdict should be read any moment and we're going to bring you the details as soon as they come in. Also still ahead for us, moments from now, President Biden will be holding a joint press conference with Finland's president, taking questions from reporters as he wraps his big Europe trip and, of course, wrapping up the NATO summit. We're going to take you there live - we're going to take you live to Finland ahead.

And also, Chinese hackers breached the email account of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. What we are now learning about the attack and the other government agents targeted.

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